Columbia held its annual alumni Oscar party at the Universal City Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on Feb. 22. Alumni were also invited to a similar event in Chicago.

The event in LA was for West Coast alumni with more than 250 members of the Columbia community in attendance. And it’s only growing, said Eric Winston, vice president of Institutional Advancement.

Kim Clement, associate vice president in the Office of Institutional Advancement, who attended the LA party, said the hotel had big-screen TVs for the attendees to watch the Oscars on, and was a good opportunity for alumni to socialize. She said more than 3,000 alumni live on the West Coast, and many of them have come out of Columbia’s Semester in LA program.

Josh Culley-Foster, national director of Alumni Relations, said the importance of having the party in LA is not only because of alumni relations, but also because “it’s Hollywood.”

“It’s the entertainment capital of the world,” he said. “Many of the alumni are in ‘the business,’ and they are a group that have really been compelled to be together. For them, networking is the next step.”

Culley-Foster said connecting could provide advantages in a number of ways such as future projects for alumni, who are actively working in the industry and also like to show “their Chicago pride.”

Ticket prices for the LA Oscar Party were $30 for early birds and $40 afterward. All proceeds went to paying for the event in LA.

Columbia President Warrick L. Carter and Winston attended the LA event, Culley-Foster said.

Micki Leventhal, director of Media Relations, said in an e-mail that Carter and Winston were already in LA on fundraising business and went to the party as a cost-saving measure instead of attending the party in Chicago held at HUB 51, which was not organized by Columbia.

“This event was scheduled to coincide with fundraising trips on behalf of the college so as to conserve travel costs,” Leventhal said. “This enabled Drs. Carter and Winston to spend some time cultivating and honoring alumni and working with other potential donors to the college on the same trip.”

Winston said the event helps the college reconnect with its West Coast alumni, which is the largest concentration of alumni outside of Chicago.

The event also served as an Industry Night for alumni, although that was not the orginal intent. Winston said the college invited talent scouts and people in the entertainment industry who could help provide opportunities and guidance to alumni.

“Since we’ve got all of these people together, why not have folk at the event who can help advance the careers of our graduates?” he said. “Makes sense to me.”

The Chicago event was organized by Brenda Sexton, formerly of the Illinois Film Office. Both alumni and faculty attended the event, but mostly industry professionals, journalists and “local luminaries, like Christie Hefner and Richard Roeper,” Leventhal said in her e-mail.

Tickets to the event in Chicago, emceed by Roeper, were $75 dollars, which a portion of the proceeds went to the Columbia Production Fund, Culley-Foster said. He said whether or not the alumni were invited, the college would benefit from the proceeds, but the event gave them an opportunity to give back to Columbia.

Winston said there was also an auction held at the Chicago event from which $3,800 came back to Columbia for the production fund.

It was announced last semester as part of budget policy that “domestic travel must be approved by the area Vice President, with the exception of the travel associated with Advancement, Fundraising, Student Recuitment and Admissions,” according to the policy.

Leventhal also said the Oscar party in LA was held at the Hilton because the “‘on-campus’ facilities, that is the LA offices at Sunset and Vine, are not appropriate or adequate for this type of event.”

Doreen Bartoni, dean of the school of Media Arts, also attended the event in LA. Leventhal said she’s one of the major contributors to help fundraise, since the semester in LA program falls under her jurisdiction.

“She’s very involved with the West Coast,” Leventhal said. “She’s a really good person to have out there.”

The event in LA was not a fundraising event, Leventhal said; it was a cultivation event, which means it was an opportunity for the alumni to get together and develop relationships with the college.

Clement said there was a “soft ask” at the event, which doesn’t require the alumni to donate, but offers them materials as suggestions on how to donate.

“At every [alumni] event there’s a soft ask,” Leventhal said.

One of the materials offered at the Universal City Hilton was the new Scholarship Columbia, which is funded by donations from alumni. Leventhal said it gives the college a chance to talk about “giving opportunities.”

Winston said the LA event will happen again next year in order to keep the lines of communication between the alumni and the college open.

“Once you start you can’t stop,” he said. “You will have a catastrophic disconnect. The only result of [that] is that when you go back and restart you have to do everything all over again. It doesn’t take long for people to forget who you are.”

Leventhal also said the Oscar party in LA was held at the Hilton because the “‘on-campus’ facilities, that is the LA offices at Sunset and Vine, are not appropriate or adequate for this type of event.”

Doreen Bartoni, dean of the school of Media Arts, also attended the event in LA. Leventhal said she’s one of the major contributors to help fundraise, as the Semester in LA program falls under her jurisdiction.

“She’s very involved with the West Coast,” Leventhal said. “She’s a really good person to have out there.”

The event in LA was not a fundraising event, Leventhal said; it was a cultivation event, which means it was an opportunity for the alumni to get together and develop relationships with the college.

Clement said there was a “soft ask” at the event, which doesn’t require the alumni to donate, but offers them materials as suggestions on how to donate.

“At every [alumni] event there’s a soft ask,” Leventhal said.

One option offered to alumni at the Universal City Hilton was the new Scholarship Columbia, which is funded by donations from alumni. Leventhal said it gives the college a chance to talk about “giving opportunities.”

Winston said the LA event will happen again next year in order to keep the lines of communication between the alumni and the college open.

“Once you start you can’t stop,” he said. “You will have a catastrophic disconnect. The only result of [that] is that when you go back and restart you have to do everything all over again. It doesn’t take long for people to forget who you are.”